Current vehicle systems have user interfaces that include one or more of the following elements: a display, a touch screen, a touch sensor, a control knob, a user-engageable button, and other controllers. Typically, users actuate a control by direct contact or physical manipulation. Most recently, vehicles also use voice commands to allow users to interact with the vehicle HMI. Additionally, some advanced automotive concepts have been shown that feature simple hand/finger gestures or handwriting-based gestures.
For example, U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2009/0309765 discloses a system and a method for using images captured from a digital camera to control navigation through a three-dimensional user interface.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,624,833 discloses a gesture based input interface system with shadow detection, wherein the input interface system provides gesture-based user control of an application running on a computer by classification of user gestures in image signals.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,598,942, a system and a method for gesture based control is shown. The system provides a gestural interface to various visual elements presented on a display screen.
U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2008/0065291 discloses a system and a method for controlling a component in a vehicle including an image receiving system for receiving images of an occupant of the vehicle, wherein the system is arranged to recognize gestures in the received images, e.g., hand gestures, and a control system coupled to the image receiving system for controlling the component based on the recognized gestures.
However, there remains a need for an accurate, touchless means for interacting with a user interface in a vehicle environment.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to develop an adaptive user interface wherein a visual output of the user interface is automatically configured based upon a pointing vector derived from a position of a portion of a body of a user to highlight a visual output that is in substantial alignment with the pointing vector.